Prioritizing Semiconductor Workforce Training and Nanotechnology Commercialization for 'Sobu-jang' Independence

Government Selects Projects for Preferential Pre-Feasibility Study on the 17th

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The government has decided to prioritize the cultivation of high-level talent and the development and industrialization of nano technology to secure supply chains for semiconductor materials, parts, and equipment.

On the afternoon of the 17th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the 12th Materials, Parts, and Equipment Technology Special Committee meeting and selected two projects?the "Public-Private Joint Investment Semiconductor Advanced Talent Training Project" and the "Nano Convergence 2030 Project"?as preferred projects for preliminary feasibility studies. Accordingly, these two projects will receive additional points (between 1 and 9) during policy feasibility evaluations or will be given priority in applying cost-effectiveness analysis (E/C) techniques during economic feasibility evaluations in future preliminary feasibility studies.

Lee Kyung-soo, Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Headquarters at the Ministry of Science and ICT, explained, "Both projects are currently subject to the third quarter R&D preliminary feasibility study, and the preferential treatment will be applied immediately. We expect this to contribute to the technological independence of materials, parts, and equipment."

In this regard, the government plans to invest a total of 350 billion KRW over the next 10 years, including 175 billion KRW in national funds and 175 billion KRW in private capital, to train 3,500 highly specialized professionals in the semiconductor industry. The goals also include 2,100 patent applications, 4,200 academic papers, and 35 technology transfers. Currently, the semiconductor field is experiencing a surge in demand for highly specialized talent due to increasing difficulty in technology development. The proportion of master's and doctoral-level advanced professionals in the semiconductor industry is 8.7%, significantly higher than the average of 3.7%. However, the government forecasts a shortage of 5,565 master's and doctoral-level professionals in the semiconductor field over the next 10 years.

The Nano Convergence 2030 Plan aims to invest a total of 786.37 billion KRW over 10 years from next year to 2032, including 596.51 billion KRW in government funds and 189.87 billion KRW in private capital, to promote nano technology development and commercialization. Nano technology is emerging as a core element in next-generation foldable phones (silver nanowire transparent electrodes) and key materials for secondary batteries (graphene, CNT), attracting significant international attention. However, while Korea has a high level of original technology development, the commercialization period is long, and companies’ own technological capabilities are low, resulting in poor commercialization outcomes.

The government has set goals to secure 152 "scale-up technologies" that enable product production using original technologies and to increase the success rate of nano original achievements and foundational commercialization by 20 percentage points (from the current 46.8% to 68%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.